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Toyota Tacoma

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Toyota Tacoma • Consumer complaints • Transmission failure • Safety interlock failure • Spontaneous starting • Misc. failings --- News • NHTSA Ends Toyota Tacoma Investigation • Toyota Resists Possible Tacoma Recall

The Tacoma is putting a big dent in American automakers' truck sales but it's also putting a big ugly dent in Toyota's reputation for quality, reliability and service. The trucks are plagued by engine and transmission problems as well as an assortment of defects and quirks that we don't usually associate with Japanese cars and trucks.

Here are some of the more recent complaints:

Stuart of Alhambra, CA July 31, 2009

I recently bought a NEW toyota tacoma at glendora about 9 months ago. i took it to a local dealer about a week ago(toyota of wondries) because i noticed the paint was getting faded on the front bumper. i got a call from that dealer the next day and they informed me that they ran the vin number on the truck on a national data base and found that the dealer where i purchaced the truck had done repairs to the front and rear of the truck. this was not disclosed to me when i purchaced the truck, and was sold to me as new.

i called the dealer to make a complaint.. i spoke to a customer relation representative from the dealer, and she told me the rear bumper was replaced because it had a small scratch and they didnt want to paint it so they replaced it. and if i could bring it in for inspection. so i took it in three days later but before i showed up i called glendora and asked if they had a body shop. they said yes there right next door let me transfer you.

i spoke to someone at the body shop (sidners collision) i asked if they could run the vin number and let me know if they had worked on my truck. she said yes. i went to the body shop, got a print out of the repairs and it said LEFT SIDE BED REPAIRS. i then inspected the truck myself and noticed all the bolts from the front and rear of the truck had wear on them from tools applyed to them. this does not come like this from factory. i know, i worked at a dealer as a technician before.

So when the dealer inspected the truck all they were doing was making excuses that adjustments were probably made from factory before the truck was delivered. i know that the factory makes adjustments before they paint the car not after. so all the dealer wanted to do is for me to leave the truck so they could repaint it. i then asked the two persons from the dealer (customer relations and service manager) a question. my question was \" If you damage a new car on the lot and needs to be sent to the body shop for repais, can u still sell it as a new car\" they both said yes we replace panals all the time. I dont think thats correct.

I didnt want them to paint the truck because they didnt want to acknowledge the fact that they sold me a crashed car as new. and i dont think, no matter how good a painter is, a new car is never the same after getting altered and painted. What do you think should be done at the dealer at this time. i also emaled toyota motor company....I feel like this was a dead end and I already spoke to the reprsentative and all they want to do is paint it. but i dont want that. what i think i deserve is what I'am paying for which is a new truck.

this is my very first new truck and is coasting me 420 dollars a month, and have already spent over 6 thousand dollars including the money i put down on the purchase day. the paint is getting faded in the front because it seems they forgot to paint it with a clear coat when it was repaired.

Mary of Tucson, AZ July 10, 2009

2000 Toyota Tacoma, services every 3000 miles. Through a rod. No oil light came on, no check engine light came on... no over heating. No help from Toyota. Wondering if the "new" engine needs special oil???

Hedel of Calexico, CA July 10, 2009

I drive a Tacoma 2006 i get it on sep 2005 it hapen the same as the truck of Kerru O'shea the frame is break in the left side under the motor, for no reason this truck yust have freeway miles, no offroad use, I talk whit my toyota dealer and they call to toyota and they are going to chanche my frame at no extra cost.

Steve of LAKE FOREST, CA July 7, 2009

Have had a Toyota Pick Up ( 1998-T100) and found it to be a remarkable truck.. and an accident ruined the vehicle..but I walked away..from a t-bone.. where the other party ran a red light.. SO.. I purchased a new 2008 Tacoma.. here's the pick list..of problems..1)engine is fine but transmission eats all the energy making truck sluggishly slow (4 cylinder),2)paint scratches very easily, 3) interior scratches very easily, 4) truck body sways while driving curved roads, 5)interior shows 'water' stains when cleaning, 6)suspension is weak and not a true half ton truck, 7)speedometer is showing speed faster than actual speed/ by as much as 10 mph ( I have 15" rims.. speedometer is set for 17 or 20 inch rims !),8)car is very rough riding..and all over the road in normal driving condition, 9)very hard to maintain one speed, 10)Auto Dealership, nice folks but salespeople are very nasty... people to deal with... no news there !!! DO NOT BUY A 2008 TOYOTA TACOMA.. they are a danger on the road.. and I will not be buying another Toyota Product.. as they were headed in the right direction.. but not now. not ever again...

Gordon of Jefferson, NH July 2, 2009

I bought my first New vehicle in late 1998, a 1999 Toyota Tacoma pick up. I remembered driving it home from the lot like I was bringing a child home from the hospital. Every vehicle I owned prior to that had over 100,000 miles and substantial body rot. My wife and her brother both owned Toyota's and I was impressed with the enginering of these vehicles. I followed the maintainence schedule, using synthetic oil and toyota filters. I garaged the truck and made most of the repairs myself. I rotated the tires as every oil change and got 95,000 miles out of the original tires. Those were the firestone tires that were recalled down south. I took a picture of my son who was 6 at the time behind the wheel with our 4 year old neighbors daughter in the passenger seat. I told my son when he got older he would be driving the truck. I eventually taught him how to drive on this truck. I even have a picture of my family in front of the truck at the dealership the day we bought the truck. I can tell you the name of the person we bought the truck from.

I do appreciate the fact that Toyota is buying these vehicles back, I just didn't ever want it to end this way. I wanted to drive the truck until the wheels fell off. They almost did, the frame is rotted right at the leaf spring. All I could think of while I was driving the truck to the dealer was how happy I was driving that truck home the first time I drove it and now I was bitting my bottom lip as if my dog had died. It's nice that Toyota is buying these vehicles back before somebody gets killed. I just wish that they would give us more of an incentive to buy another new truck......providing they improve their quality controls....It's hard not to get attached to a vehicle you owned for over 10 years and did all the work yourself....sorry for the sad story.....Maybe it will end Happily. :0)

James of Mechanicsville, MD June 29, 2009

I have a 2006 toyota tacoma 4x4 6 cyc.My problem is all 4 alloy rims are corroding. The paint on the alloy rims is not crack,or peeling as of yet. It is just like a blister. Mr. M. Pavan took pictures of all 4 rims, and sent them to the higher up. They send back that it was road salt that is causing the corrosion. So they are not responsible. To me if there is no crack in the paint, how did the salt get under the paint to cause the corrosion.

One thing in there favor is I have over 57,000 miles on this tacoma. so of course the war, will not cover the corrosion. I was wondering how many other tacoma with alloy rims have the same problem.

Ed of Tucson, AZ June 22, 2009

I purchased a 2005 Tacoma Access-cab 4X4 pickup in January, 2005 from Toyota of Nashua, Nashua, NH. This was the first year of the 2nd generation Tacomas. My truck is Speedway Blue. The 2005 was my third Toyota truck. Prior to owning this truck, I had a 1996 Tacoma Std cab V6 and a 1989 Deluxe Pickup.

In April, 2005, I noticed paint chips on the vehicle hood, roof and in front of the rear wheel wells. I took the vehicle to Toyota of Nashua for inspection. Service Manager and New England Service Manager looked at the vehicle. They told me that the paint chips were caused by road debris and that damage would not be covered under warranty. Josh told me that he would paint the areas in front of the wheel wells if I would buy running Toyota running boards for 400. I told him that this response is unacceptable and he needs to fix all of the paint under the Toyota warranty. I pointed out that my 1996 Tacoma NEVER had a paint problem. He refused and the issue has not been resolved.

After doing research on the paint issue, I have found out that Toyota had issues applying the paint properly at the factory. My truck was built at the NUMMI plant in Fremont, CA. NUMMI had issues with paint application that were *supposedly* corrected in May of 2005. The paint is brittle and has no elasticity. Other Toyota truck owners have also had paint problems with their 2005 and newer tacomas. If you want more information on this issue, do a search for 'Paint Defects'.

In August, 2005 I was attempting to load a riding lawnmower into the back of my truck. I was using a pair of aluminum ramps attached to the tailgate. The left side of my tailgate buckled out. I never thought there would be a problem like this, as I could load the mower in my 1996 Tacoma with no tailgate problems. That tailgate was rock-solid. Also, one would think that the components and techniques used to build new vehicles would far surpass older vehicles.

I took the truck to Toyota of Nashua on Sept 14,2005. My truck had approximately 10,200 miles. Once again, B. Peterson and J. Offit looked at the tailgate. Josh told me that the damage was caused by abuse and he would not cover it. I told him that there were NO labels on the tailgate, on the truck or in the owner's manual that stated that the tailgate had a 200LB weight rating. I pointed out that this weight rating was unacceptable on a vehicle designed to carry 1000LB. I also stated that my 1996 Tacoma never had any problems with the tailgate. Josh got rude when I refused to pay for a new tailgate. He also refused to give me a service receipt stating that my truck was in the shop for this issue. There were no TSB (Technical Service Bulletins) available at the time for the tailgate.

In May, 2009, I found a TSB for the 2005-2007 Tacoma Tailgate. This TSB number is BO07-018 I brought my truck to Precision Toyota, asking to have the tailgate fixed. First, they acted like they didn't know about the TSB, then I pulled out a copy of the TSB that I printed from the web. I was then told that there were probably over 100 TSBs for the Tacoma. Oh, really, now you tell me.

In any case, they did escalate my issue to the Western Region Headquarters, located in Denver,CO. One again, my request to fix the tailgate was refused. The reason- I was out of the 3/36 warranty. I told them that I did bring the vehicle to the Toyota dealer when the vehicle had 10,000 miles and they refused to give me a receipt, which was the fault of J. Offit. Still, no assistance.

Toyota Customer Care is a joke. They did not help me, nor would they let me speak to any management. They listened and took notes regarding my issues. Furthermore, they blamed me for damaging the tailgate. Poor customer service.

Toyota built the new Tacomas with the composite bed and light tailgate to increase fuel economy. This new tailgate is much too light considering the weight that the bed is designed for. Toyota knows about this problem, but refuses to fix all affected vehicles. They are also having problems now with the 2007-present Tundras. Toyota is [doing wrong] on good customers, at a time that they can least afford it.

In summary, my complaint is with Toyota Motor Corp. Precision Toyota of Tucson and Toyota of Nashua are also at fault, as these dealers could have done more to assure my satisfaction. I have had many people ask me about my truck and I show them the tailgate and paint and tell them that Toyotas are not built like they once were.

Charles of Jacksonville, FL June 9, 2009

I purchased a new 2004 Toyota Tacoma, with tires for life at the above dealership. My tires are 6 years old, have dry rot and hydroplane on wet roads. The dealership was bought by someone else but still used the same name, same phone number. When I asked for the new tires, I was first lied to and was told that they still had to much tread to be replaced. Then I pointed out the dry rot issue and that i use the truck to haul my boat around and that the tires where unsafe.

The new owner refuses to replace them since he did not own the dealership when I purchased the truck. I was told by the owner that he stopped honoring the tires for life program a month ago, yet the service personnel told me they would probably change them out on my next service visit, which was a lie. They have no intention on replacing the tires.

What are my rights concerning this issue. I followed all the service agreements that was required. The safety of my life as well as others, and I will have to purchase tires when I should have them replaced by the dealership.

Robert of North Kingstown, RI May 22, 2009

2008 Tacoma has a terrible paint job and scratches easy etc..

Jim of Millis, MA May 6, 2009

I have discovered that there is rust on the frame of my 2001 Toyota Tacoma. It cannot be fixed/welded in the location that it appears. I have had a Toyota dealership inspect it. Toyota is only offering to replace the frame. I'm extremely disappointed that they have acknowledged problems with 1995 to 2000 Tacomas with same exact problem. Toyota will pay approx. 12 K to replace the frame to the local dealership but will not redirect the money towards a newer model for me. My 2001 Tacoma has 175K miles and I would like to trade-in and purchase a new model but Toyota is unwilling to change current policy even though they were doing just that for owners of a 2000 model Tacoma just months ago.

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